Chimichurri Chicken and Rice

I’m declaring chimichurri the sauce of the summer. It’s so bright and vibrant, and as I’ve mentioned before it’s good on pretty much everything! This week I made this scrumptious one-pot Chimichurri Chicken and Rice, which was based loosely on Trader Joe’s frozen chimichurri rice and vegetables (a product that many of you suggested I try). I added chicken just to make it more of a full, one-pot style meal, but making this vegan would be super easy, too. Just swap out the diced chicken for a can of chickpeas and you’re good to go!

Chimichurri Chicken and Rice

Hand Chop Your Chimichurri

I made a smaller batch of chimichurri this time and because of that I decided to just chop everything by hand instead of using my food processor. Surprise, surprise, I liked it a lot better than my super processed chimichurri!! So, I’ll be making it by hand from now on. And honestly, it was easier to finely chop all that stuff than it is to clean the food processor. :P

Tips for Cooking One Pot Recipes

As will all one-pot rice dishes, it’s absolutely critical to use a good quality pot with a thick bottom. If you use a thin pot or skillet you’ll get hot spots and cold spots leaving the rice uncooked in some areas and dry or burned in others. Even heat is critical. If you have a rice cooker, you could totally do this in the rice cooker, too. Just do all the sauté steps in a skillet, then transfer everything (chicken, vegetables, rice, water) to the rice cooker, cook per the machine’s instructions, then fold in the chimichurri at the end. 👍

Chimichurri Chicken and Rice

This Chimichurri Chicken and Rice is a bright and vibrant summer meal that cooks in just one pot to make dinner fast and easy.

Keyword: One Pot

Total Cost: $5.25 recipe / $1.34 serving

Prep Time: 15mins

Cook Time: 40mins

Total Time: 55mins

Servings: 41.25 cups each

Ingredients

CHIMICHURRI

1/4cupextra virgin olive oil($0.52)

2 Tbspred wine vinegar($0.20)

1/2tspdried oregano($0.05)

1/4 tspcumin ($0.03)

Pinchred pepper flakes($0.02)

1/4 tspsalt($0.02)

1clovegarlic($0.08)

1/2 cupfresh parsley, chopped($0.30)

1/2cupfresh cilantro, chopped($0.25)

CHICKEN AND RICE

1Tbspolive oil ($0.13)

1boneless, skinless chicken breast (3/4 lb.)($1.42)

Pinchsalt and pepper($0.05)

1yellow onion($0.41)

2Roma Tomatoes($1.00)

1/2cupfrozen peas($0.21)

1cuplong grain white rice*($0.66)

1.5cupswater($0.00)

1/4 tspsalt($0.02)

Instructions

Prepare the chimichurri first to allow time for the flavors to blend. Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt in a bowl.

Pull the parsley and cilantro leaves from the stem and finely chop them. Mince the garlic. Stir the parsley, cilantro, and garlic into the bowl with the oil, vinegar, and spices. Set the chimichurri aside.

Cut the chicken breast into very small pieces, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and sauté until golden brown.

While the chicken is browning, dice the onion. Remove the chicken pieces from the skillet once golden brown, and add the diced onion in their place. Sauté the onion until soft (about 5 minutes).

While the onion is sautéing, dice the tomatoes. Once the onions are soft, add the diced tomatoes and sauté for about two minutes more, or until they begin to break down.

Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the frozen peas, uncooked rice, water, and 1/4 tsp salt. Briefly stir to combine all the ingredients.

Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low or medium-low, and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes.

After letting the rice rest for 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Pour the prepared chimichurri over the rice and fold it in to combine. Be careful not to vigorously stir the chimichurri into the rice because this will cause it to become sticky and mushy.

Taste the chimichurri chicken and rice and season with extra salt if needed. Top with an extra pinch of fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish, then serve.

Notes

*I used jasmine rice because it's my rice of choice, but regular long grain white rice will work just as well.

Step by Step Photos

Make the chimichurri first so the flavors have a little time to blend. In a bowl, stir together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cumin, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp salt.

You’ll want about 1/2 cup loosely packed each chopped parsley and cilantro, so I just grabbed about 1/4 of each of my bunches. This recipe is super flexible so you don’t have to stress over getting the amount of parsley and cilantro right. But, if in doubt, more is better. Oh, you’ll also need a large clove of garlic.

Chop the parsley and cilantro very finely. Mince the garlic.

Stir the parsley, cilantro, and garlic into the oil and vinegar mixture. Set the chimichurri aside.

Cut one boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) into small pieces. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and cook them until they’re golden brown, then remove them from the skillet.

While the chicken is cooking, dice an onion. After removing the chicken from the skillet, add the onion and sauté until they’re soft.

While the onions are sautéing, dice two Roma tomatoes. Add the diced tomatoes to the skillet and sauté for just a couple minutes more, or until they start to lose their shape.

Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet along with 1/2 cup frozen peas and 1 cup long grain white rice (I used jasmine).

Add 1.5 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt. Give everything a brief stir, then place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low or medium-low and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes.

After simmering for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes, undisturbed (lid in place). Finally, remove the lid and fluff it with a fork.

Finally, pour the chimichurri over the skillet and gently fold it to incorporate it into the chicken, rice, and vegetables. Make sure not to stir vigorously, or your rice will get sticky and mushy. Taste the dish and add more salt, if needed.

You can garnish the Chimichurri Chicken and Rice with a little extra parsley or cilantro, if you’d like

82 comments on “Chimichurri Chicken and Rice”

i added mole to this and it was awesome. i also doubled the recipe and added some better than boullion. Super delicious and tasty. But i kind of regret it since the flavor from the chimichurrin was overshadowed by the mole. I found that the rice at the bottom began to burn a little.

i made this a second time without mole, and i added poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, and some other pepper in with the onions instead of tomatoes, peas, etc I also added a little lime to the chimichurri mix. Now it tastes awesome. Also it helps that i didnt keep the rice boiling too long which probably made it burn last time.

This was my first experience with chimichurri, and it will not be my last! I loved the way all these ingredients combined to create something magically delicious. I did make a few adjustments, as I also thought this recipe had too much oil, but overall, I still kept it the way it was and greatly enjoyed it. Thanks for introducing me to new flavors!

This was really, really good. I have made it twice and the jasmine rice makes a HUGE difference in the flavor and texture. I also misread the recipe and used too much parsley and cilantro, but it didn’t matter. Had a little chimichurri leftover and used it to top my lunch the next day after warming it up. The dish was amazing and very economical.

This recipe was good, just way too oily. I would make it again and use shrimp instead of the chicken….i think the chimichurri sauce would pair better with shrimp. To avoid the oil saturation, I would add the chimichurri sauce separately to each plate as needed

Great flavor but WAAAAAY too much oil!! After eating one serving, we ended up picking out the chicken and tossing the rest. I should have known better but I always try to make a recipe as written the first time to have it the way the author intended. Next time I’ll use 1/2 – 1 Tbsp of oil then check it t the end to determine if it needs more.

A definite 5 STARS! The best one pot meal I’ve ever made! I substituted with one pkg of boneless skinless chicken thighs and about a cup or so of thawed shrimp (its what I had on hand) and instead of frozen peas or tomatoes (my sons wont eat those), I added the juice of a lime to the water with the rice!! Delicious :) I’ve made at least 10 of your different recipes so far – each one a success and permanent new addition to our recipe collection…I adore your site!!

With a few tweaks, this recipe is fantastic! I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. A good time saver: saute the chicken for a few minutes, then add the onions straight in and proceed with the recipe, no need to dirty another pan. I also thought it could use a little more tomato & peas, and of course chicken stock instead of water. Worked beautifully in my dutch oven served on a bed of spinach. Thanks!

However, I tried to double it and use brown basmati rice. Cooked it on the stove top in a Dutch oven. Otherwise followed the instructions precisely, and when I lifted the lid to fluff, there was a LOT of liquid left. So I covered and cooked for another fifteen minutes. Still a lot of liquid! So I let it simmer with the lid off to let it reduce a good deal. The result? Probably mushier than if I hadn’t tried to double it and use the brown basmati. But once I stirred in the chimichurri and tasted it, I considered it a success, all things considered. Next time, I’m going to try to make a single batch with long grain white rice to get a better consistency and a more predictable result. But my “failure” was delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »